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Wildfires in Arctic regions impact landforms via permafrost degradation and subsequent deformation that can last for many years. However, it remains uncertain on if and how much deformations occur, and what controls their magnitude, particularly during the first couple of years. Here, we examine the transient post-fire deformation responses near the Batagaika megaslump, which is the world's largest retrogressive thaw slump at Batagay, Sakha Republic. There were wildfires in the summers of 2018 and 2019 on the same slope, which could trigger the formation of another megaslump; many fires occurred nearby in 2019. We use interferometric synthetic aperture radar (InSAR) to measure surface displacements, including both post-fire and span-fire images. We also perform onsite measurements of temperature and thaw depth around the two scars near Batagaika megaslump in 2019, 2020, and 2021 and around the 2014 scar in 2019. At the three fire scars formed in 2018 and 2019, we demonstrate year-to-year and location-specific changes in the amplitude of subsidence, heave, and duration. The 2018 scar shows cumulative subsidences of up to 10 cm by March 2021, more clearly than the nearby 2019 scar. On the other hand, another 2019 scar adjacent to the 2014 scar shows up to 13 cm net subsidence during the first span-fire year, although the subsiding area is limited. These diverse transient post-fire responses demonstrate that under the yedoma area the spatial heterogeneities of the active layer depth and the timing of fires will control subsequent thermokarst processes.

Aim of study: To evaluate which vegetable lipid source promotes better growth performance, whole-body composition and fatty acid profile for juvenile giant trahira (Hoplias lacerdae). Area of study: Fish Nutrition Laboratory of the University of Viçosa (UFV), MG, Brazil. Material and methods: A 50-day feed trial with four treatments, consisting of diets containing different vegetable lipid sources (canola, linseed, soybean or olive oil), was conducted with juveniles of 4.76 ± 0.50 cm and 1.97 ± 0.20 g. Main results: There were no effects of vegetable lipid sources on growth performance. Fish fed diets containing canola oil had higher body lipid deposition and fish fed with linseed oil had lower body lipid content (up to -19.29%) than fish from other treatments. Fish fed canola oil showed lower proportions of saturated fatty acids (up to -11.27%) in the body. Fish fed diets containing soybean oil and linseed oil showed the highest percentages of linoleic and α-linolenic fatty acids, respectively. Fish fed diets containing soybean and linseed oils also had higher total polyunsaturated fatty acids content (up to +81.14%). Fish fed diets containing linseed oil had lower content of monounsaturated fatty acids (up to -58.59%) and higher content of docosahexaenoic (up to +175%) and eicosapentaenoic (not detectable to detectable) acids. Research highlights: Juveniles of giant thraira can alter the whole-body fatty acid profile due to their ability to desaturate and elongate the n3 and n6 series fatty acids. Linseed oil was identified as lipid source for this fish species.

Group 2 innate lymphoid cells (ILC2) are a relatively new class of innate immune cells. Lung ILC2 are early responders that secrete type 2 cytokines in response to danger 'alarmin' signals such as interleukin (IL)-33 and thymic stromal lymphopoietin. Being an early source of type 2 cytokines, ILC2 are a critical regulator of type 2 immune cells of both innate and adaptive immune responses. The immune regulatory functions of ILC2 were mostly investigated in diseases where T helper 2 inflammation predominates. However, in recent years, it has been appreciated that the role of ILC2 extends to other pathological conditions such as cancer and viral infections. In this review, we will focus on the potential role of lung ILC2 in the induction of mucosal immunity against influenza virus infection and discuss the potential utility of ILC2 as a target for mucosal vaccination.

As influenza season was approaching in 2020, public health officials feared that influenza would worsen the COVID-19 situation [...]

As a new non-contact method of measuring object displacement, a coaxial displacement sensor using a lateral shear interferometer with a phase grating is proposed. This proposed method uses a phase grating to generate fringes for the evaluation of displacement by means of spatial frequency analysis. Compared with triangulation-based displacement sensors which are widely used for industrial applications, this sensor makes stable measurement because there is no occlusion, and it has a simpler optical system than other non-contact optical methods. The steel pin gauge was measured by the triangulation-based displacement sensor and by the proposed method respectively, and the results confirmed that stable measurement was performed in any scanning orientation of the pin gauge in the proposed method.

Purpose The purpose of this study was to analyze the outcome of patients with Birt–Hogg–Dube (BHD) syndrome who underwent percutaneous thermal ablation of renal cell carcinoma (RCC). Materials and methods Six patients with genetically proven BHD syndrome who underwent one or more sessions of percutaneous thermal ablation for the treatment of RCC were included. There were 4 men and 2 women, with a mean age of 57.3 ± 7.5 [SD] years (range: 44–67 years). A total of 29 RCCs (1–16 tumors per patient) were treated during 20 thermal ablation sessions (7 with radiofrequency ablation and 13 with cryoablation). Outcomes of thermal ablation therapy were assessed, including technical success, adverse events, local tumor progression, development of metastases, survival after thermal ablation, and changes in renal function. Results Technical success was achieved in all ablation sessions (success rate, 100%). No grade 4 or 5 adverse events were observed. All patients were alive with no distant metastasis during a median follow-up period of 54 months (range: 6–173 months). No local tumor progression was found. The mean decrease in estimated glomerular filtration rate during follow-up was 10.7 mL/min/1.73 m2. No patients required dialysis or renal transplantation. Conclusion Radiofrequency ablation and cryoablation show promising results for the treatment of RCCs associated with BHD syndrome. Percutaneous thermal ablation may be a useful treatment option for this rare hereditary condition.

Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) seizes control of cellular cullin-RING E3 ubiquitin ligases (CRLs) to promote viral replication. HIV-1 Vpr and HIV-2/simian immunodeficiency virus (SIV) Vpr and Vpx engage the cullin4 (CUL4)-containing ubiquitin ligase complex (CRL4) to cause polyubiquitination and proteasomal degradation of host proteins, including ones that block infection. HIV-1 Vpr engages CRL4 to trigger the degradation of uracil- N -glycosylase 2 (UNG2). Both HIV-1 Vpr and HIV-2/SIV Vpr tap CRL4 to initiate G 2 cell cycle arrest. HIV-2/SIV Vpx secures CRL4 to degrade the antiviral protein SAMHD1. CRL4 includes either cullin4A (CUL4A) or cullin4B (CUL4B) among its components. Whether Vpr or Vpx relies on CUL4A, CUL4B, or both to act through CRL4 is not known. Reported structural, phenotypic, and intracellular distribution differences between the two CUL4 types led us to hypothesize that Vpr and Vpx employ these in a function-specific manner. Here we determined CUL4 requirements for HIV-1 and HIV-2/SIV Vpr-mediated G 2 cell cycle arrest, HIV-1 Vpr-mediated UNG2 degradation, and HIV-2 Vpx-mediated SAMHD1 degradation. Surprisingly, CUL4A and CUL4B are exchangeable for CRL4-dependent Vpr and Vpx action, except in primary macrophages, where Vpx relies on both CUL4A and CUL4B for maximal SAMHD1 depletion. This work highlights the need to consider both CUL4 types for Vpr and Vpx functions and also shows that the intracellular distribution of CUL4A and CUL4B can vary by cell type. IMPORTANCE The work presented here shows for the first time that HIV Vpr and Vpx do not rely exclusively on CUL4A to cause ubiquitination through the CRL4 ubiquitin ligase complex. Furthermore, our finding that intracellular CUL4 and SAMHD1 distributions can vary with cell type provides the basis for reconciling previous disparate findings regarding the site of SAMHD1 depletion. Finally, our observations with primary immune cells provide insight into the cell biology of CUL4A and CUL4B that will help differentiate the functions of these similar proteins.

The HIV-1 protein Vpr enhances macrophage infection, triggers G2 cell cycle arrest, and targets cells for NK-cell killing. Vpr acts through the CRL4DCAF1 ubiquitin ligase complex to cause G2 arrest and trigger expression of NK ligands. Corresponding ubiquitination targets have not been identified. UNG2 and SMUG1 are the only known substrates for Vpr-directed depletion through CRL4DCAF1. Here we identify the endoribonuclease Dicer as a target of HIV-1 Vpr-directed proteasomal degradation through CRL4DCAF1. We show that HIV-1 Vpr inhibits short hairpin RNA function as expected upon reduction of Dicer levels. Dicer inhibits HIV-1 replication in T cells. We demonstrate that Dicer also restricts HIV-1 replication in human monocyte-derived macrophages (MDM) and that reducing Dicer expression in MDMs enhances HIV-1 infection in a Vpr-dependent manner. Our results support a model in which Vpr complexes with human Dicer to boost its interaction with the CRL4DCAF1 ubiquitin ligase complex and its subsequent degradation.

Marburg virus, the Kaposi's sarcoma-associated herpesvirus (KSHV) and Dengue virus all activate, and benefit from, expression of the transcription regulator nuclear erythroid 2-related factor 2 (Nrf2). The impact of Nrf2 activation on human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection has not been tested. Sulforaphane (SFN), produced in cruciferous vegetables after mechanical damage, mobilizes Nrf2 to potently reprogram cellular gene expression. Here we show for the first time that SFN blocks HIV infection in primary macrophages but not in primary T cells. Similarly SFN blocks infection in PMA-differentiated promonocytic cell lines, but not in other cell lines tested. siRNA-mediated depletion of Nrf2 boosted HIV infectivity in primary macrophages and reduced the anti-viral effects of SFN treatment. This supports a model in which anti-viral activity is mediated through Nrf2 after it is mobilized by SFN. We further found that, like the type I interferon-induced cellular anti-viral proteins SAMHD1 and MX2, SFN treatment blocks infection after entry, but before formation of 2-LTR circles. Interestingly however, neither SAMHD1 nor MX2 were upregulated. This shows for the first time that Nrf2 action can potently block HIV infection and highlights a novel way to trigger this inhibition., Author Summary Nrf2 turns on anti-oxidant genes in response to pharmaceuticals like oltipratz, environmental agents like heavy metals and cigarette smoke, endogenous agents like nitrous oxide and nitro-fatty acids and even plant products like sulforaphane (SFN) and epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG). An increasing body of work is showing that some viruses activate and benefit from Nrf2. In this work we tested the impact of Nrf2 on HIV. We used SFN, abundant in cruciferous vegetables and often used as a dietary supplement, to activate Nrf2. Here we show, for the first time, that in immune cells isolated from donor blood, SFN halts HIV infection in macrophages, but not in T cells. We further show that upon SFN treatment the virus is blocked after it has transcribed its RNA-encoded genome into DNA, but before this genetic material is inserted into host chromosomes. Importantly this block is indeed dependent on Nrf2. Interestingly, Nrf2 does not activate recognized anti-viral genes. Thus, unlike viruses recently found to benefit from Nrf2 activation, HIV can be blocked by its activation. This highlights the opportunity to activate a heretofore unrecognized anti-viral function by triggering an antioxidant response with a common dietary component.

Purpose of review The search for the role(s) that HIV-1 Vpr and its HIV2/SIV paralogs Vpr and Vpx play in viral infection and pathogenesis showed that all three engage CRL4 ubiquitin ligase complexes. This association triggers ubiquitination and degradation of cellular substrates. The identity of the ubiquitin ligase substrates is only now beginning to be revealed. This review focuses on recent work that has identified one such substrate and exposed new cellular restrictions to infection. Recent findings Three groups have now described cellular factors that restrict HIV-1 infection in cells of the myeloid lineage. One of these factors, sterile alpha motif- and metal-dependent phosphohydrolase domain-containing protein 1 (SAMHD1), was shown to be depleted through the CRL4 ubiquitin ligase complex in the presence of HIV-2/SIV Vpx. The other restriction can be defeated by Vpx in the absence of at least one part of the ubiquitin ligase complex that triggers SAMHD1 depletion.Another group has shown that the previously described upregulation of natural killer-cell ligands on the surface of HIV-1-infected cells requires the actions of both the cytidine deaminase APOBEC3G and uracil-N-glycosylase 2 in association with HIV-1 Vpr. Summary As more cellular interaction partners are identified for HIV-1 Vpr and its paralogs from other viruses, details are emerging about Vpr function. The recent findings have highlighted the existence of two new human proteins that can act to combat HIV infection and have revealed how HIV-1 proteins act in concert to modulate the interaction between natural killer cells and HIV-1 infected cells.

A 8-week feeding trial was conducted to evaluate the nutritional value of dietary conjugated linoleic acid (CLA) for finishing Nile tilapia evaluating its effects on growth performance, whole body and filet compositions, fatty acid composition, plasma lipid parameters, filet texture, liquid loss and holding capacity. Triplicate groups of Nile tilapia were hand-fed until apparent satiation on diets in which CLA oil was supplemented at 0 (control), 5 or 10 g kg−1. No differences were observed on weight gain, feed intake, feed/gain ratio, protein efficiency ratio, hepatosomatic index, visceral fat, filet yield and survival between treatments. Fish-fed CLA diets had increased whole body crude protein and reduced filet lipid content. The total plasma cholesterol and triacylglycerol decreased with CLA supplementation. Neither 5 nor 10 g kg−1 dietary CLA improved liquid-holding capacity and filet texture when compared with fish fed the control diet. Fish-fed dietary CLA showed lower whole body and filet C18:3(n-6), C18:3(n-3) and C20:2(n-6) levels and higher levels of C18:0. CLA deposition in filet and whole body (16 mg–235 mg g−1 of tissue) are higher than presented in natural sources of CLA, proving to be a great product to increase CLA consumption by humans.

Small-scale experiments have been conducted to investigate the triggering mechanism of vapor explosions. In order to attain good repeatability and visibility, a smooth round water droplet was impinged onto a molten alloy surface. This configuration suppresses premixing events prior to triggering. Six molten metal and alloys were used as the pool liquid. The lower limit of the contact temperature in the vapor explosion region closely agrees with the spontaneous bubble nucleation temperature of water. The upper limit of the initial molten alloy temperature decreases when an oxide layer forms on the surface causing an increase of the emissivity of thermal radiation that has a stabilizing effect on the vapor film. When an oxide layer was formed on the surface, a water droplet was occasionally entrapped into a molten alloy dome, since the oxide layer prevents the droplet from evaporating coherently. The vapor explosion region obtained for the mirror surface is a conservative estimate, since that for the oxide surface fell into the internal region of the vapor explosion for the mirror surface.

The reaction of the rice mutant hebiba differs from that of wild-type rice in that the mutant responds inversely to red light and is defective in the light-triggered biosynthesis of jasmonic acid (JA). Using the wild type and the hebiba mutant of rice in a differential display screen, we attempted to identify genes that act in or near the convergence point of light and JA signalling. We isolated specifically regulated DNA fragments from approximately 10 000 displayed bands, and identified a new early light- and JA-induced gene. This gene encodes an enzyme containing a GDSL motif, showing 38 % identity at the amino acid level to lipase Arab-1 in Arabidopsis thaliana. The GDSL CONTAINING ENZYME RICE 1 gene (GER1) is rapidly induced by both red (R) and far-red (FR) light and by JA. The results are discussed with respect to a possible role for GER1 as a negative regulator of coleoptile elongation in the context of recent findings on the impact of JA on light signalling.

Surge-type glaciers repeat their short active phase and much longer quiescent phase usually every several decades or longer, but detailed observations of the evolution cycles have been limited to a few glaciers. Here we report three surging episodes in 1989, 2001, and 2013 at Donjek Glacier in the Yukon, indicating remarkably regular and short repeat cycles of 12 years. The surging area is limited within the ~ 20 km section from the terminus, where the flow width significantly narrows than upstream, suggesting a strong control of the valley constriction on the surge dynamics.

The SIRIUS-N facility was designed and constructed for highly accurate simulation of core-wide and regional instabilities of a natural circulation BWR. A real-time simulation was performed in the digital controller for modal point kinetics of reactor neutronics and fuel-rod conduction on the basis of measured void fractions in reactor core sections of the thermal-hydraulic loop. Stability experiments were conducted for a wide range of thermal-hydraulic conditions, power distributions, and fuel rod time constants, including the nominal operating conditions of a typical natural circulation BWR. The results show that there is a sufficiently wide stability margin under nominal operating conditions, even when void-reactivity feedback is taken into account. The stability experiments were extended to include a hypothetical parameter range (double-void reactivity coefficient and inlet core subcooling increased by a factor of 3.6) in order to identify instability phenomena. The regional instability was clearly demonstrated with the SIRIUS-N facility, when the fuel rod time constant matches the oscillation period of density wave oscillations.

The first isocoumarin isolated from the methylene chloride extract of Paepalanthus bromelioides, named paepalantine (isocoumarin 1), was found to have antimicrobial activity; but, it is mutagenic clastogenic and cytotoxic. Two other isocoumarins, paepalantine-9-O-β- d -glucopyranoside (isocoumarin 2) and paepalantine-9-O-β- d -allopyranosyl(1→6) glucopyranoside (isocoumarin 3) were isolated from the ethanolic extract. A fourth new isocoumarin, also isolated from the methylene chloride extract of the capitula of P. bromelioides, was characterized as an 8-8′ dimer of paepalantine and denominated isocoumarin 4. The abilities of isocoumarins 2, 3 and 4 to induce mutations in Salmonella typhimurium strains TA97a, TA98, TA100 and TA102 were investigated. Mutagenic activity was observed in strain TA97a treated with isocoumarin 2 in the presence of S9 mixture. The substitution of H at position 9 by glucose or glucose-allose caused reductions in the mutagenic activities of paepalantine, indicating this to be an important site for these properties.

Asthma is believed to be a risk factor for influenza infection, however little experimental evidence exists to directly demonstrate the impact of asthma on susceptibility to influenza infection. Using a mouse model, we now report that asthmatic mice are actually significantly more resistant to a lethal influenza virus challenge. Notably, the observed increased resistance was not attributable to enhanced viral clearance, but instead, was due to reduced lung inflammation. Asthmatic mice exhibited a significantly reduced cytokine storm, as well as reduced total protein levels and cytotoxicity in the airways, indicators of decreased tissue injury. Further, asthmatic mice had significantly increased levels of TGF-β1 and the heightened resistance of asthmatic mice was abrogated in the absence of TGF-β receptor II. We conclude that a transient increase in TGF-β expression following acute asthma can induce protection against influenza-induced immunopathology., Author Summary Influenza and asthma represent the two major lung diseases in humans. While most studies have focused on exacerbation of asthma symptoms by influenza virus infection, the effects of asthma on susceptibility to influenza virus infections has been far less studied. Using a novel mouse model of asthma and influenza infection, we show that asthmatic mice are highly resistant to primary challenge with the 2009 influenza pandemic strain (CA04) compared to non-asthmatic mice. The increased resistance of asthmatic mice is not due to the enhanced T or B cell immunity but rather, to a strong anti-inflammatory TGF-beta response triggered by asthma. This study is the first to provide a mechanistic explanation for asthma-mediated protection during the 2009 influenza pandemic.

Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) remains a significant public health challenge. According to the World Health Organization, there were approximately 35.3 million people living with HIV/AIDS worldwide in 2012, with Sub-Saharan Africa being the most affected region (1). HIV has claimed 27 million lives. It is estimated that two million people die from HIV/AIDS each year.

Employing a competitive ELISA (cELISA) based on monoclonal antibody and a novel immunoaffinity-column (IAC)-linked HPLC-fluorometry, ochratoxin A (OTA) levels in the plasma of 184 healthy volunteers (130 males, 54 females) were surveyed in Tokyo during the 4 years from 1992 to 1996. It was found that 85% of the cases were positive for OTA except 38% in 1994, and an average value in the positives was estimated as 68 pg/ml. This suggests that the population in Tokyo is exposed to OTA at high frequency, although the level in plasma is far less than that reported in Europe and Canada. A partial contribution of fermented dietary foodstuffs, coffee and wine is suspected as the source of the OTA observed in the human plasma.

A total of 951 backcross progeny have been obtained from a backcross segregating for the mouse deafness mutation,shaker-2(sh-2). Linkage analysis provides a detailed genetic map in the vicinity ofsh-2which comprises 40 backcross mice identified as recombinant within a 4 cM region. This allows construction of a contig consisting of 21 BAC clones across an approximately 700-kb region ofsh-2.This covers the entire nonrecombinant region ofsh-2and is therefore useful to facilitate the identification of genes in thesh-2region.

The effects of natriuretic peptides on the proliferation and differentiation of osteoblast-like cells from rat calvariae were examined. Natriuretic peptides are physiological agonists that activate receptor guanylate cyclases, namely, natriuretic peptide receptor (NPR)-A and NPR-B. Exposure of cells to atrial natriuretic peptide (ANP) and C-type natriuretic peptide (CNP) resulted in large increases in the rate of intracellular production of guanosine 3',5'-cyclic monophosphate (cGMP). Moreover, CNP-like immunoreactivity was detected in the conditioned medium from osteoblast-like cells, while ANP was undetectable. In cells exposed to natriuretic peptides, a dose-dependent reduction in the rate of DNA synthesis was observed. Natriuretic peptides also stimulated the activity of alkaline phosphatase (ALPase) and the expression of mRNA for ALPase and osteocalcin and the mineralization of nodules by the cultured cells. These results could be reproduced by treating cells with 8-bromo-cGMP. Endothelin-1, whose physiological functions are the opposite of those of natriuretic peptides, decreased the ALPase activity and the mineralization of nodules. In the present study, natriuretic peptides were demonstrated to promote bone formation via the action of cGMP in a signal-transduction pathway mediated by specific receptors in osteoblast-like cells.

Tunneling measurements have been performed on high-quality Ba 1− x K x BiO 3 single crystals with T c 's between 15 and 30 K. The junctions are Ba 1− x K x BiO 3 /natural barrier/Au sandwich type, which exhibit very low leakage currents at zero bias and sharp conductance peaks at the gap-edges. The average ratio of 2Δ/ k B T c = 3.5±0.1 is obtained using more than 20 different junctions (different samples) with T C 's determined from tunnel junctions. Temperature dependence of the energy gap is consistent with the BCS prediction. Second derivative measurements of current-voltage characteristics have also been carried out. Observed strengths and peak positions of the superconducting phonon structures in d 2 I /d V 2 strongly support phonon-mediated superconductivity in Ba 1− x K x BiO 3 .

Configurations of B‐site cations in the perovskite‐structured ternary system Pb(Mg1/2W1/2)O3‐Pb(Ni1/3Nb2/3)O3‐PbTiO3 (PMW‐PNN‐PT) of interest for multilayer ceramic capacitors were studied by transmission electron microscopy. The evaluated specimens were four PMW/PNN/PT compositions: 10/30/60, 30/30/40, 50/30/20, and 70/30/0 on a compositional line with 30 mol % PNN content. A ‘‘core‐shell‐type’’ microstructure was seen in the 10/30/60 specimen composition, which has a ‘‘normal’’ ferroelectric characteristic, along with typical ferroelectric domain structures. The B‐site cation ordering in the 10/30/60 composition was not detectable in the selected‐area electron diffraction pattern. On the other hand, an ‘‘island‐type’’ microstructure, consisting of clusters (∼1–2 nm) with B‐site cations 1:1 ordered, was observed in the 30/30/40, 50/30/20, and 70/30/0 compositions, which have relaxor‐type characteristics. In the 70/30/0 composition, larger stripe‐shaped ordered regions (∼20–200 nm) were also observed. The...

Natriuretic peptide receptor-B (NPR-B) was identified in rat chondrocytes, and its physiological functions were investigated. Rat tissues, including the xiphoid cartilage, brain, lung, liver, adrenal gland, and kidney, were screened for NPR-B activity, which we assayed by receptor guanylate cyclase activity specifically stimulated by C-type natriuretic peptide (CNP), a known selective activator of NPR-B. Cartilage showed distinctly higher NPR-B activity. Furthermore, exposure of cultured rat chondrocytes to CNP (10(-6) M) resulted in a large increase in intracellular cGMP production (376 +/- 38 pmol/well), with threshold responses occurring between 10(-10) and 10(-9) M CNP. Atrial natriuretic peptide and brain natriuretic peptide also stimulated cGMP production in rat chondrocytes but with a potency that was at least 10 times less than that of CNP. Polymerase chain reaction analysis also demonstrated NPR-B gene expression in adult rat xiphisternum and cultured chondrocytes. These findings indicate that NPR-B is present in rat chondrocytes. In rat chondrocytes exposed to CNP, [3H]thymidine incorporation was inhibited in a dose-dependent manner (half-maximal response, 10(-11)M). However, much higher concentrations of atrial natriuretic peptide were required to induce the inhibition of thymidine incorporation. Interestingly, CNP-like immunoreactivity was detected in the conditioned medium from chondrocyte cultures. In addition, TGF-beta 1, a multifunctional cytokine, induced a marked increase in CNP secretion and CNP mRNA levels in chondrocytes. These results indicate that autocrine CNP inhibits mitogenesis in chondrocytes via NPR-B under the control of TGF-beta 1.

Exogenous gibberellin removes the genetical suppression of mesocotyl elongation in dark-grown seedlings of the rice cultivar ‘Nihon Masari’ (japonica type). This gibberellin effect can be cancelled by light. All light effects can be accounted for by phytochrome. Dose-response and fluence-response studies show that phytochrome induces a reduction of the sensitivity to exogenous gibberellins. A cytological analysis of cell elongation and cortical microtubules led to a model where gibberellin and red light regulate mesocotyl elongation by controlling microtubule orientation in the epidermis of the mesocotyl. This causes corresponding changes of cellular extension growth, which can account for a large part of the observed growth responses. Comparative studies involving antimicrotubular drugs and gibberellin-synthesis inhibitors in the rice cultivar ‘Kasarath’ (indica type) and a hybrid cultivar suggest that some of the differences between the cultivars are due to differences in gibberellin-sensitivity.

The purpose of this study was to examine the prevalence of torus palatinus (TP) among Japanese elderly and to identify the factors associated with the formation of TP. The subjects were adults aged over 60, who lived independently in the community and attended lectures once a week at the Senior Citizens' College in Osaka prefecture during 2007 and 2008. A total of 664 subjects, including 294 men and 370 women, were examined, and the mean age was 66·5±4·2 (s.d.). After informed consent was obtained, participants responded to a questionnaire and underwent clinical examination consisting of dental status, temporomandibular symptoms and occlusal force. There were 113 (17·0%) subjects with TP. The prevalence of TP was more frequent in women than in men (24·6% versus 7·5%, P0·01). Moreover, there was a significant relationship between the presence of TP and the presence of Torus mandibularis (13·3% versus 25·9%). There was no significant relationship between the prevalence of TP and other factors; diurnal and nocturnal bruxism, occlusal force, occlusal support and temporomandibular diseases symptom. Logistic regression analysis, in which adjustment was made for age and occlusal force, revealed a significant relationship between the presence of TP and gender and the presence of torus mandibularis (TM) (P0·001 OR=3·43, 95%CI=2·00-5·86; P0·001, OR=2·63, 95%CI=1·64-4·24, respectively). This study suggests that genetic factors play a more significant role than factors related oromaxillofacial function in the aetiology of TP.

Upon exposure to heat shock the increased rate of hsp70 synthesis decreased more rapidly in thermotolerant V79 cells than in the non-thermotolerant cells. However, the levels of hsp70 in the thermotolerant cells at 12 h after a heat shock were almost the same as those in the non-thermotolerant cells. On the other hand, the migration of hsp70 from cytoplasm to nucleoli after a heat shock was very rapid in both thermotolerant and non-thermotolerant cells, but hsp70 in the nucleoli disappeared faster in the thermotolerant cells than in the non-thermotolerant cells, and this coincided with the faster decline of hsp70 synthesis in the thermotolerant cells. For the characteristic distribution of hsp70, protein synthesis was not required. Furthermore, the induction and expression of thermotolerance by the cells were little affected by the inhibition of protein synthesis. Thus, the synthesis of hsp70 itself seemed not to be essential for the induction and expression of thermotolerance of the cells, although hsp70 may be essential for thermoresistance of cells. The rapid decrease of hsp70 synthesis and the rapid disappearance of hsp70 from the nucleoli after a heat shock may be essential for the expression of thermotolerance of the cells.

When the least squares (LS) type of adaptive filters are used as an identifier, we are often encountered with the case when a data covariance matrix becomes rather such as in use of band-limited input signals. In order to attain stabilized convergence, this paper presents generalized regularization schemes using multiple regularization parameters and an a priori estimate, and gives analytically their optimal values that can minimize the mean squares error (MSE) or the estimated MSE using only accessible data signals. These results discover successfully that the optimal regularization parameters can give the optimal truncation of smaller eigenvalues in the eigenvalue decomposition and that there exists the optimal initial condition for the recursive least squares algorithm to attain fast and stable convergence. Finally an adaptive regularization scheme for the LS identifier is proposed.

Summary In Pisum sativum L. the gibberellin-hypersensitive mutant lv is shown to elongate to a greater extent than Lv plants under red, blue and white light. Under far-red light and darkness no significant differences between the mutant and wild type were apparent. The expression of the Lv/lv difference is red/far-red reversible, indicating that phytochrome is involved. The difference in elongation (at least in the epidermis) appeared to result from a reduced inhibition of cell elongation by white and red light in lv compared with Lv plants. Gene lv also reduced chlorophyll levels and the organization of the chloroplast suggesting that lv plants behave as if they do not de-etiolate completely. No difference in the level of spectrophotometrically determined phytochrome could be found between Lv and lv plants in either the light or the dark. Phytochrome I levels were also similar in the dark when determined using the monoclonal antibody mAP 5. In light grown plants the immunologically detectable levels of phytochrome I and II were also similar. These results indicate that while gene lv may be considered, in a general sense, to be a photomorphogenic mutant, this gene does not alter phytochrome levels. Rather, it may influence transduction of the phytochrome signal. The action of the lv mutant is compared with that of other photomorphogenic mutants in tomatoes, Arabidopsis and cucumber and the relationship between the enhanced gibberellin-sensitivity in lv plants and their photomorphogenic responses are discussed.

Squamostatin-A (2), a new type of bis-tetrahydrofuran fatty acid γ-lactone, has been isolated from Annona squamosa L. (Annonaceae) and its structure has been elucidated on the basis of spectral evidence.

著者人数：34名, Accepted: 2006-04-20, 資料番号: SA1000465000

This paper proposes a novel framework for a context-based film recommendation system based on shot genre classification of MPEG compressed films. This method analyzes low level audio-visual features extracted on compressed domain, to then classify MPEG coded films into predefined genres at the shot level to allow efficient indexing. Moreover, the distribution of the resulting shot genres can be used to represent film context, which is in turn applied to a film recommendation system. According to reasonable classification results in some experiments using MPEG-1 coded films, the proposed film recommendation system enables to recommend subjectively appropriate films to users without large dataset of film ratings and user preferences on film genres, which has not been achieved by conventional methods such as content-based approaches.

In this paper, a scheme to assign a unique PN (pseudo noise) code to each vehicle is proposed in order to reduce interference in a DS/CDMA IVC (direct sequence/code division multiple access inter vehicle communication) network. And the scheme how each vehicle acquires PN codes assigned to other is also discussed. In this paper, a common PN code is used to establish an initial communication link [Hattori, K, et al., Nov. 2000] and common code interference suppression using a successive interference cancellation scheme [Tomotaka, N et al., Nov. 1998] by estimating packet reception timing from the vehicle whose reception power is small is examined under the environment where reception power from each vehicle is different (near-far problem is existing).

This paper describes an optical system with polarized beam splitter and a digitally controlled video signal processor, to achieve both high brightness and good uniformity of pictures, for liquid crystal display (LCD) projector, newly developed for multimedia presentation applications.